Maintenance & Technical > KX500 Steel Frame Conversion (SFC)

steel frame head mounts

<< < (6/6)

cmotodad:
I saw some steel head stays on a factory Kawi a few years back. I think it was when RV was struggling with the pre 2012 450. I made some and put them on my 10 450 and could feel the difference. I liked them more than the stock alu. ones.

yeomans:
Liked them because of less vibration ?

cmotodad:
I think the thinner steel head stays allowed the stiffer 9-11 frame to flex a bit more. I did not notice any vib difference. I was at a SX at the time and saw how a couple of the factory bikes had thicker, thinner, al. and steel stays. That was my reasoning.

motopunk:
hmmm.. please dont make the mistake to compare a 450 4stroke in a stiff al-frame with an 500 2stroke engine in an flexible steel-frame ... thats like comparing apples with potatoes..  :wink:
4strokes make diferent vibrations than 2strokes .. al-frames are always stiffer than steel-frames because aluminium weighs 1/3 less than steel, but for the same durability it needs 3x bigger dimensions as a steel-frame and that makes it stiff and less flexible than any steel-frame..

cmotodad:
Flex is flex no matter what type motor is in it. Steel flexes more than alu. frame. If the head stay indeed allows more flex, it should not matter.JMO

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page